Monday, November 29, 2010

Something to Think About

I thought I had made a similar post in the last couple of months, but checking my archives I find nothing on this topic. So here goes.

I've been feeling the need for a big shake up lately. You know-totally change the way my days flow, what's important vs what's not, what takes up more time than it's worth and what I'd like to spend more time doing. That kind of shake up. My brain is full of things I'd like to do "when I have time" but if I don't just make an effort to do it, that time isn't likely to come.

There have been a number of times in my life where I realized I could live anywhere I wanted, the first time being after my divorce. With no husband and his job tying us to a location, and no children that would feel uprooted by simply taking off and going somewhere, I gave it serious thought. What kind of environment is important to me? What am I looking for in a community? Weather would be the biggest issue for me, right after cost of living. Having been raised in sunny, warm, AZ I knew I wouldn't like dreary, cold winters, and that's why I turned down a job offer in PA. It was good pay doing something I would have enjoyed, but I need sunshine to operate. The man offering the job tried to get me to believe that there was plenty of sunshine in PA. Apparently he'd never been to AZ where we have more days of sunshine than any state in the nation. Every picture I found for apartments there was taken on a cloudy day. No thanks.

While I was single I met a man from Albuquerque and wondered what it'd be like living there. That fizzled quickly though and I never gave it another thought. After meeting & marrying Tony we talked about various places we might live. Until recently though, we were a bit tied to the area we're in. We're now able to do what we do from any location, so the topic is open for discussion again. Together we've ruled out any place that has long winters-neither of us is crazy about cold weather. California is out for political reasons, as is Colorado. New Mexico might be alright, though just not quite what we're after. High humidity places are also not given a second thought, although I wouldn't mind a bit more humidity than the dry southwest has!

That doesn't leave very many options, does it? Oh wait, we only considered places within the USA! If we can truly do what we do from anywhere, are we limited to the USA? Not really. But would we really just sell everything and go somewhere that they may not even speak English? Maybe. I'd at least consider it. And that's what this post is supposed to be about. Considering the why behind a move to say, Tuscany.

First off, could I really do it? What would be left behind vs what to look forward to? Next, is the why. Why leave the state I've lived in for 37 years? Maybe because I've lived here for 37 years. The where is important of course. I don't think I'd be typing this if the option was Moscow. I've never been to Europe. Heck, I've only been to Central American countries on my few travels.

The why for me right now has to do with that need for shaking things up. For making my days different than what they are now. Do I really need to consider moving to another continent for that to happen? Can I just make it happen right here? What would it take? Above all else though, what's God's will in all this? Is this just some crazy idea that popped into my head or is there more to it? Do I feel like I need shaken up because some shaking is about to take place? It's odd, but all of our local connections are dwindling and drying up. Am I making that happen with some level of discontent, or is it being orchestrated by a Mind far greater than mine?

I shared with Tony a month or so back that I felt our days needed a new focus. More purpose. Living life more intentionally. This past weekend I shared my crazy idea to move to Italy for a couple of months. While talking about it, we realized if we were going at all it should be for a year. I think I like it because it feels like I'd have less responsibility. We could act like tourists for a while. We could spend a day at the beach without making a big deal out of it. We could simply sit outside enjoying the countryside. But would it really be like that? If so, do we have to go there (or wherever) to get that ability?

What are your thoughts? What would you change in your life with the right opportunity? Would you pack up and move if you could? Where would you go? Why did you choose that place?